DOES THE POLICE STILL HAVE THE MEANS TO PROTECT US | M6 | Zone Interdite

The situation is clear: the police institution appears to be in deep crisis.
While the State aims to double the number of officers on the streets by 2030, recruitment is faltering. Candidates are scarce, and the country’s 150,000 police officers — a third of them patrol officers — are stretched to the limit.
Low pay, shortages of staff and equipment, lack of support from management, and a growing loss of purpose: many officers say they can no longer bear going to work with fear in their stomachs. This profound malaise is reflected in record numbers of resignations, with dramatic consequences for the force as a whole and its relationship with the public.
So the question is a legitimate one: does today’s police force still have the means to protect us effectively?
To understand the reasons behind this growing disengagement, we first immerse ourselves in the daily lives of police officers. The Montbéliard police station, in eastern France, has agreed to open its doors to us for several weeks.
We also examine numerous cases of misconduct. Whether involving allegations of police violence or anti-police actions, testimonies from victims — officers as well as civilians — along with their videos, help us analyze this spiral of escalation and try to understand its causes.
Among the factors under scrutiny: police training, widely criticized for being inadequate for nearly a decade; the operational doctrines imposed on law enforcement; and their increasingly strained relationship with an overburdened justice system.
Today, more and more officers are leaving the national police to join municipal forces or private security companies — a trend that raises serious questions about the State’s gradual withdrawal from its core mission of public safety.